Improvement in hemp-breakers



2 Shets-Sheet 2. Z. FEAGAN.

I Hemp Brake.

No. 24,999. Patented Aug. 9, 1859.

I 17w finia- {M ami Jul/( M UNITED TATES tries...

\ATENT IMPROVEMENT IN HEM P-BREAKERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2 5,999, dated August 9, 1859.

- To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ZAC}IARIAH FEAGAN, of Palmyra, in the county of Marion and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Machine for Breaking and Cleaning Hemp; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section through the line 00 w of Fig. 3, and Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the machine.

Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in the different figures.

My invention consists in an arrangement and combination of the stationary bars under which the hemp is introduced finger-guards for preventing the forward motion ofthe hemp, vibrating spring-levers for breaking the hemp, and cams for operating said spring-levers, which arrangement and combination will presently be more fully described.

In the drawings, A is the frame of the machine, in which is hung on its axis the revolving drum B, the latter being made to revolve by operating the crank O onby any other equivalent device. On the drum B the cams D are spirally arranged, in order that they may act successively against the spring-levers E,which are pivoted at K and work in the guides GG, attached to the frame of the machine.

To the ends of the levers EE conneetingrods F F are attached, and to the latter springs H H are attached at their lower extremities. The springs H H are attached also at one extremity to the frame A of the machine, as seen in Fig. l. The drum is made to revolve so that the cams D D on its surface are made to raise successively the ends of the spring-levers E E,

with which they come in contact, thereby depressing the opposite extremities of said levers. After the cam D has passed from under the lever, the latter is operated upon strongly by the spring H through its eonnecting-rodF, and the lever is forced back again violently to ahorizontal position, by which a blowis given to the hemp subjected to its action.

L L are stationary bars, firmly attached to the frame A of the machine, under which the hemp to be operated on by the levers E E is placed. These bars are so constructed that a portion of them project below the others, as seen in Fig. 2, in which two of the bars of less depth intervene successively between two of greater depth. By this arrangement of the bars less power will be required in operating the levers E E than in the ordinary arrangement of the stationary bars when in the two cases the bars are at the same distance apart, for the hemp is first broken by the levers E between two of the deeper bars,which renders it weaker and more liable to fracture between the bars of less depth at a subsequent blow of the lever; besides, the hemp is more easily broken between the bars of greatest depth, because they are arranged farther from each other than the bars are when the ordinary arrangement is employed, in consequence of the two intervening bars of less depth. In short, greater leverage is obtained between the bars of greatest depth than in the ordinary arrangement of them, and consequently less power is requisite to operate the parts.

M is a cross-head pivoted to the frame A of the machine at N, and carrying the angular finger-guards O O, which are firmly attached to the head M. The finger-guards are angular, as shown in the drawings, in order to prevent the hemp from being thrown forward by the operation of thelevers E E, thelatter by their action having the tendency to throw the hemp toward the forward part of the machine.

To the cross-head M is attached the connect ing-rod 1 ,Wl1l(3l1 is attached to the bar Q, the latter working in grooves R t in the frame of the machine.

S S are levers, pivoted at T T to the frame of the machine and attached to the bar Q. By depressing the levers S S the cross-head M is made to operate the lovers E E, causing their depression for the purpose of allowing ample space for introducing the hemp into the ma chine prior to the breaking process.

V V are a series of horizontal rods or bars fastened to the frame of the machine, on which the hemp to be operated on is placed.

The levers S S may be dispensed with, and the bar Q may be operated bya treadle or other similar device.

The levers E E, in breaking the hemp, strike against the cross-head M, which, being pivoted at N moves slightly from the force of the blow and reacts on the levers, giving them a vibrashives, 8m.

tory motion,which materially assists the cleaning of the hemp of the broken and loosened Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by \Vitnesses:

Letters Patent, is EDWIN G. PRATT,

The arrangement and combination of the sta- P. 0. LANE. 

